Our editorials will discuss issues which affect writers generally, as well as dA Lit specifically. In this Editorial, we will be focusing on comments, discussing what writers want, and what to provide in a comment.

We all know that getting the exposure you want for your work is a tough endeavour here on dA. Despite the wonders of the site, the simple fact of the matter is that comments are hard to come by these days. There may be many reasons for this - lack of time on the part of many browsers, lack of interest, or simply: not knowing what to say. We've all been there at one point (some of us more than others), and it presented the question - "what is it that writers want out of a comment?" The only way to find the answer to this question was to set up a poll - which received an amazing response from the lit community, and with your help, this editorial will highlight some points that will aid in leaving some insightful and appreciated comments.

First and foremost - Read. Many of the writers on dA want feedback - we all do, it's what we crave! Unfortunately, a startling amount of people, don't actually read the work of others, yet expect others to read theirs. No matter how you look at it, it makes sense to give, in order to get - not only will you discover new writing styles and ideas, but you will also start paving the way to comments by building relationships with like-minded people. So go out there and read the work of your fellow writers - help them out if you can, and tell them what you like, or what you don't - it doesn't matter, they want to hear it all. Everything helps, no matter how small.

"Critiques are helpful, because I'm always looking to improve; analyses of plot or characters or even random background elements are always interesting and lead to wonderful discussions; and personal connections bring up interesting points of conversation." - Forta-Verity-Amity

So what do writers want? You do not have to be a writer to offer up useful suggestions, and more often than not, the lit community of dA will be more than appreciative of all comments, here are just a few suggestions on what to write about.

Personal connection If the reader can relate to the piece, then this is the highest compliment an author can get. Forming a connection doesn't have to be a powerful one - simply having experienced something similar, or known someone like a character is enough.Feeling Authors love it when a reader tells them how a piece makes them feel while reading. This in itself is a form of personal connection. If you felt sad while reading a poem, or tense during an action sequence - let them know!Interpretations What do you think the writer is writing about? This is open to everyone! Don't be afraid to voice your understanding of the piece or what you think of the themes.Critique What did you think worked well? What did you not like? A critique doesn't have to be an essay, it can simply be a short comment. Just remember - a good critique will tell the author WHY, and HOW. Why the reader liked/disliked something and how to improve.Favourite line/part Writers love this! It means you engaged with their work and appreciate their ability to create great masterpieces with words.Typo spotting If you see any, mention them! The same can be said about any grammatical errors you think the author would like to know about, but please try to insert these into a longer comment instead of focusing mainly on an edit job.

"I like hearing how the piece connected with someone on an emotional level. I enjoy hearing people's stories and it always makes me feel good if my piece has the ability to connect with others on a deeper level that them just liking it." - SpiralingSpontaneity

Asking Questions vs. Open Comments. A note for all writers to keep in mind when seeking feedback, is to ask questions actively within your artist's comments (the deviation description). Quite a few writers on dA said they do this, and not only does it offer them critiques on specific points within their work, but it also gives commenters something to grasp if they are lost for comments.

Some examples of questions to ask are:

How can I improve (part A)?

Does the wording in (part B) work well for the feeling / scene / form?

Too much dialogue / not enough?

Do the characters work / are they believable?

Now, if you are unsure of what your weaker points are, then perhaps it is best to opt for leaving the comments open to whatever comes in. Remember however, that sometimes a little nudge in one direction is useful in coaxing commenters to unravel your work.

"I usually put specific questions in the artist comments - things I'm not happy with myself, what could help improve the flow, etc. - to get them started. If people just reply with a generic answer such as "Not my cup of tea" or "it was okay, but I think it needs improvement", I try to probe them to get a clearer answer on what specifically they didn't like or thought could use improvement." - ezradeacon

Critiques - What to Expect If you ask for a critique, be prepared to expect some harsh realities. Not all critiques will be positive ones, and in fact, the point of a critique is to highlight some aspects of your work that aren't the strongest, and then help you to improve upon them. If you are a little more on the sensitive side, then perhaps critiques aren't for you, however, it is worth while to venture into them in order to condition yourself into accepting them a little more.

Critiques - A Brief Guide When it comes to writing a critique, bear in mind that a good analysis of a piece will contain both praise on what is done well, and criticism of what is done poorly - each held in healthy balance, and finished with suggestions on how to rectify the negatives.A good word to keep in mind is "PEE" (as used in many a GCSE History essay).

Point - highlight the part of the work you believe requires attention, or needs to be changedExplain - explain why you believe this particular aspect of the work is not done as well as it could be.Example - offer an example on how to change it.

Remember that a "critique" is not an excuse to tear a piece of writing apart with no justification or attempt to help, neither is it a praise-fest (much though we all adore a good ego-stroking). A good critique will cover both the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly - but should be delivered in a neutral manner

""Wow, I really enjoyed this! The {THING1} was really cool, but the {THING2} could have been a bit better."At the very least, I can reply and thank you for the feedback, and discuss the pros/cons of the piece." - Rhetoricism

The most important step to take when on the hunt for comments is to "give what you expect to get". The Lit community on dA is full of people seeking feedback on their work, and every comment is appreciated. Taking the time to read and then provide comments on the work of others is an important part of receiving them yourself, it is just a matter of knowing what they want.

With the help of the WritersInk admin team, as well as the literature community. You can show your support for this and other WritersInk Journals by adding it to your Favourites collection. If you have anything to say (good or bad!) about this Journal, why not leave us a comment?

I have been receiving more (quality) attention toward my own deviations and gallery as I increase the number of comments I write and improve the quality of my comments. I am quite new to dA, and I am not yet comfortable offering detailed critiques, but I do not feel the need to. Most of my comments include both a mention of my personal interest in and/or emotional connection to the content, and a simple critique if I find the words for it.

That's great to hear! And yes, I think critiques are a choice rather than a "must do" in the majority of cases I think more people just want comments of connection or interest rather than constructive in-depth critiques those are for the hard-core commenters lol

I totally agree with just about everything said here. I like that you have addressed both sides of commenting/critiquing, giving them and receiving them. As a new critic at , I am waiting for the first accusation of being mean for pointing out an area to be improved upon.

It's great to see this getting more attention in the lit community as it is such an important and overlooked aspect. I've built some great friendships on dA through back and forth commenting on writing. I have even gained a supporter/collaborator/editor on a serious project that I have finally settled into.

I'm glad you agree! Yes we just affiliated with you peeps lol well if you get accused, just point out that they were the ones who asked for a critique in the first place! A word of advice if someone starts getting aggressive - leave your response until the next day, don't be tempted to respond right away while in the heat of the moment. This will give both sides time to cool down hopefully though no one will get mad!

I'm happy it is actually, I'm surprised and also very glad that so many members of the lit community responded well to this. I agree with you too, many of my good dA friends were met through comment exchanging!

It's interesting to see how much the lit community seems to be expanding and yet growing closer together in the year that I've been here. In some aspects, it feels like a completely different dA than the one I started out on, in a good way!

That is interesting actually. When I first set up the group I had no idea what the lit community was like, but as I got to know about it a bit more, I found that, despite it being bigger than I thought, it does actually work and feel like a community. In contrast, the wider fine-art world, has never felt like a community, it's everyone for themselves with their small circle of friends, and no group I am a part of feels the same way as the lit community

Great article, and nice to see a good response to it, too. I hope it manages to encourage a few people to speak up!

I think it's also important to recognise that a comment and critique are different things. There's value in a simple comment like "I loved this and did NOT see that ending coming! Wow!". That's really helpful for an author to read (as well as being extremely encouraging), and takes almost no effort for the reader to leave.

A more thought out critique, whether one paragraph or ten, is even more valuable - but that's not for everyone. It takes an effort to leave a considered, constructive critique. I don't think there's any shame in shying away from that process(although of course I encourage people to try), but I do think it's a shame to not leave even a simple comment when you've read someone else's work.

I hope so too, I mean the responses have been great which is brilliant.

Oh yes, I should have made that a little clearer perhaps, but yes I agree, comments don't have to be huge or detailed, just...well detailed enough to be useful - like that example lol, you could actually respond to that conversationally, which is more than you could do if someone said "Wow that's great"...thanks.

This is a lot of help to me. I have to remember to comment on more written works from now on. I hardly do anyways. I just am never really interested in doing it but I do try to comment on other peoples work as in digital paintings, etc. But I have been busy/lazy lately so that is also a problem I need to tackle. XD

As I've just said above - I don't think a comment needs to be a critique. You don't necessarily need to leave deep insight or spend half an hour thinking about what to say. I really think that just a short comment showing the author your initial reactions to a piece is REALLY helpful - and shouldn't take a lot of time for you the reader

That's understandable, a lot of people bypass lit work for things they may be more comfortable commenting on - I don't comment as much as I really should on lit work either, but with this guide, hopefully it should be easier to write something even if it's short Time is the issue we all face though so I understand!

! Mine all had tiny heads...the opposite of how they are now, with giant heads lol, and when I first started drawing people, they were only in profile and had no mouths, or eyebrows...those came later!

I think there may be artists out there how don't mind one word comments as long is the word is 'Outstanding' or 'Brilliant' or 'Unique'.... something that carries a tad more than the mere flavour of approval or disapproval. Spme of us do indeed want to know what made the piece likeable or even favourable, or indeed if it worked as we'd hoped or fell short for some reason.

It makes me sound evil (I am), but I love it when readers tell me that something I wrote made them cry. It means that I was able to evoke that emotion in them with only my words. Considering that the central focus of many authors is to convey emotion in some way, it is always very reassuring to hear that my writing could evoke some form of emotional response. Unfortunately, however, I usually only get these comments on pieces I intended to be very sad and depressing. I rarely have readers tell me that a general piece of fiction made them happy or calm or that one in which the main character is frustrated made them angry. I think, sometimes, people are afraid to share what they felt because the author could take it the wrong way.

Anyway, this is very useful to both writers and readers, who are oftentimes one in the same. I am guilty of avoiding sharing my opinion or critiquing another's work for fear that I will hurt their feelings or offend them. I know this is a fear that many readers must share, but I think, when you sit back and think about it, you realize that most writers are just like you--they want feedback, whether positive or negative, and they aren't going to be easily offended because you are giving them what they asked for. However, it is still important to find things that are positive in a work because you could still rattle an author's self-esteem if you only focus on the negatives, even if they take criticism well.

But I will stop vomiting every thought that enters my mind at the comments section now. xD